#175 - on a dare

There are many reasons why John Steinbeck and I are friends, besides the obvious fact that we were both born in the beautiful Salinas, California. He saw the world in such a way that, we the people, tend to overlook. He wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and powerful nonfictions, and in 1962 he won the revered Nobel Prize for Literature. He pulls his readers in and challenges them to see more, see beyond. A few of his great works are: Of Mice and Men - check. The Grapes of Wrath - check. East of Eden - in the process of. Cannery Row - next on the list. The Pearl - the future. Here is an excerpt from Cannery Row:

"Once when Doc was at the University of Chicago he had love trouble and he had worked too hard. He thought it would be nice to take a very long walk. He put on a little knapsack and he walked through Indiana and Kentucky and North Carolina and Georgia clear to Florida. He walked among farmers and mountain people, among the swamp people and fishermen. And everywhere people asked him why he was walking through the country. Because he loved true things he tried to explain. He said he was nervous and besides he wanted to see the country, smell the ground and look at grass and birds and trees, to savor the country, and there was no other way to do it save on foot. And people didn’t like him for telling the truth. They scowled, or shook and tapped their heads, they laughed as though they knew it was a lie and they appreciated a liar. And some, afraid for their daughters or their pigs, told him to move on, to get going, just not to stop near their place if he knew what was good for him. And so he stopped trying to tell the truth. He said he was doing it on a bet—that he stood to win a hundred dollars. Everyone liked him then and believed him. They asked him in to dinner and gave him a bed and they put lunches up for him and wished him good luck and thought he was a hell of a fine fellow. Doc still loved true things but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress."

I bring this up for a reason. I am 83 days late for a new finding: This man, Matt Green, is walking across the United States. I think this is magical for a few reasons. Just as he describes in his blog, there is so much of the world you can see, taste, feel, and experience while walking that you just can't appreciate while you are zooming by in a car, plane, or even a bicycle. There is something just so innately human and simple about walking. I love to take walks, especially at dusk, so I just can't image what an experience this will be for him. Everyone he has thus far come in contact with, has been incredibly hospitable and welcoming. It makes me look forward to my adventure next year with even more anticipation. Biking my way around Ireland.